Life, Laughter, Food & Love

Month: March 2018

We think this little salad is perfect for those in between spring nights that require something a little heartier than a berry salad, but not a heavy winter stew. Luckily, the grains and roasted root veggies in this salad really do the trick! And of course it’s adaptable all season long! We encourage you to try a different grain, or a new root vegetable – same recipe, so many different options!

Directions
Heat oven to 400°F. Place beets in a bowl and coat with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and 1
tablespoon of vinegar. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake for 40 minutes, until tender.

Put buckwheat into a small pot with 3 cups vegetable broth and cover with a lid and bring to a boil. Once the broth begins to boil, turn the heat to low until all liquid has been absorbed, about 10 minutes. Leave the lid on, remove from heat and let rest for another 10 minutes.

Heat the remaining two tablespoons olive oil in a pan. Add the leeks and fry, over low heat until soft. Add garlic and sauté until fragrant. Add mushrooms and season with salt, pepper, and 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar. Cook until vinegar disappears. Add spinach and allow it to wilt.

Remove veggies from heat and combine with buckwheat in a large bowl. Top with roasted beets, hazelnuts and fresh parsley.

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There’s a reason this dish is so deeply loved by many! It’s so incredibly good! The combination is simple, but the presentation is impressive, and the taste is out of this world! The simplicity of this dish really allows each ingredient to shine, so make sure you’re getting the highest quality fresh ingredients that you can find!

Directions
Place the pine nuts in a small dry skillet over medium heat. Cook, stirring constantly, until golden brown in spots. This will take just a few minutes. Transfer to a small bowl to cool.

Combine all champagne vinaigrette ingredients except the olive oil in a medium bowl. Whisk together. Once combined, stream in the olive oil and continue whisking until the vinaigrette comes together. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.

Arrange the sliced peaches (or cantaloupe!) and prosciutto on the platter. Top with pieces of burrata and basil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, then drizzle with vinaigrette. Top with pine nuts and serve.

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With longer days and warmer nights comes the desire for dishes a little on the lighter side of things. And we don’t know about you, but we’re ready to pack up our cold weather gear along with the hearty stews and roasts that kept us warm all winter!This week we’re sharing a few of our favorite simple salads for spring. So head to your local farmers’ market and grab just what you need to whip up some of these nice greens we’ve all been dreaming of!

There is nothing that says “spring” salad to us more than this salad with crisp greens, bright fruit and perfectly cooked shrimp! It’s light, bright and super refreshing. And the best part? It’s a salad so of course the ingredients are interchangeable! Think blue cheese sounds better than goat? Switch it up! Want to throw in a few strawberries! Do it!

Directions
Whisk all poppyseed vinaigrette ingredients together until combined. Add a pinch of salt and pepper or more to taste.

Pre-heat a cast iron skillet until the surface is smoking hot. Meanwhile add the shrimp
ingredients to a small bowl and mix to combine. Sauté the shrimp for about 3 minutes per side until the shrimp is no longer pink. Remove and set aside.

Toss all salad ingredients together and toss with desired amount of dressing. Top with shrimp and serve immediately.

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We know to some, tacos without meat may sound crazy – but this is the fun part about trying vegetarian meals! You get to expand your food horizons and palate by trying combinations and flavors you didn’t know were possible. These simple tacos let the flavors of fresh ingredients really shine – which is something that makes our heart (and taste buds) sing!

Directions
Toss ingredients for corn and radish salad in a medium mixing bowl. Stir well to combine. Taste and season additionally if needed.

To prepare the beans, heat olive oil in a large saucepan. Add the onions and garlic with a
sprinkle of salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions have softened and the garlic is fragrant, about 6-8 minutes. Add the cumin and cook for another 30 seconds. Pour in beans, salsa and vegetable stock. Stir then cover and reduce heat to a simmer. Cook for 10 minutes, then remove lid and use the back of a fork or masher to mash half the beans. Remove from heat, season generously with salt and pepper and cover until ready to serve.

Combine cilantro and lime juice in a food processor and pulse until fine. Add sour cream and salt and puree until smooth. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.

To warm the tortillas, heat a cast iron skillet over medium heat and warm each tortilla, flipping occasionally. Fold in a towel to keep them warm.

Spread the beans down the middle of each tortilla, then top with corn salad. Top with sliced avocado, salsa and a side of crèma.

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Vegetarian recipes often have a bad reputation for being incredibly heavy in the carbohydrate department. But we’re here to tell you that not all vegetarian recipes need to be pasta or grilled cheese (although we have nothing against either)! There are so many recipes out there (like this one!) that are balanced, healthy and down-right delicious. This soup packs the flavor, so get ready!

Stir in curry paste, curry powder, paprika and turmeric, stir and cook for 1 minute. Add vegetable stock and coconut milk, then bring to a simmer.

Cook noodles according to package. Drain and then rinse with cold water.

Combine 3 tablespoons cold water with cornstarch in a small bowl. Add cornstarch mixture, lime juice, snap peas and salt to Dutch oven. Bring to a simmer then cook 2 minutes until thickened. Taste broth and adjust seasonings as needed. Divide noodles into large bowls.

Bring broth to a boil then ladle over noodles. Top with cilantro, scallions, cashews and lime wedges.

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Quiche is one of our favorite go-to recipes. It’s perfect for breakfast, brunch or lunch, can be easily adapted to many different flavors, is great for crowds, and is easy to make ahead of time to heat up throughout the week. It’s also a great way to get a good dose of protein and veggies all in one, what more could we ask for?

Vegetable QuicheMakes: 8 servingsTotal Time: 2 hours
Ingredients

crust

1 pre-baked store-bought or homemade crust (crustless is also an option!)veggies